how many wonders can one mailbox hold?

For someone with only moderate affection for The Little Mermaid (of all the Disney ocean movies out there, I’d pick Atlantis every time), I sure tend to reference it in my post titles quite frequently! There is something Ariel’s-grotto-ish about my growing snail mail collection, though–even if it’s slightly more curated than a collection of found objects from shipwrecks across the centuries.

Yesterday I spent a lovely day at the New England Aquarium, and I can’t think of a better time to show off my most recent haul of marine mail. Today’s envelopes are sailing in from Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands!

Stephanie made my day with this breaching humpback envelope! I feel so lucky to have witnessed this very action in the wild back home. Naturally, I had to photograph it with a few fine specimens from my shell collection.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the tale of my journey to the uninhabited Scottish island of Staffa in 2013, where I finally saw my first puffin–the most adorable little guy hiding in a tuft of grass. These cuties may be Icelandic, but they remind me of that fateful day!

Though I’ve palled around with puffins and hung out with humpbacks, I still have yet to see the aurora borealis. (And I’ve even been to Alaska!) Well, two out of three isn’t bad!

Doesn’t this envelope from Emma remind you of Rohan? I don’t know; maybe it’s the fields/brown paper/horse combination. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Eowyn’s name as the return address.

I’m burying the lede, though–look at this map of my home archipelago! This is the way to a fantasy cartography nerd’s heart. (I grew up pretty much exactly right where that stylized active volcano is.)

Today I’m introducing one of my new pen pals from the Netherlands! I’m impressed that USPS let this lovely envelope travel safely with all of those pretty add-ons in the envelope design.

This letter was a veritable treasure chest of pastel wonders! By the way, that well-dressed young lady is Nannerl Mozart, the prodigy-composer’s lesser-known sister: it just so turns out that I’ve been moderately obsessed with her since I was a child.

And what’s an envelope without some seagulls, driftwood, and mermaid stickers? If anything makes me want to passionately whisper “mine!” like the gulls of Finding Nemo fame, it’s snail mail and craft supplies.

2 comments

Your mention of Rohan is making me want to go watch The Lord of the Rings now, not that I need much encouragement to do that xD
Aside from that, I do love that whale envelope, and such pretty mail from the Netherlands!